formula or solids first

[nbdarling]

hey everyone... just want to get something clarified... i see a lot of conflicting stuff sometimes regarding the balance of solid foods and formula for our little ones... is it solids or formula first?
 my little one is 8 months and has been eating solids for about 3 months now and i have recently introduced finger foods(has 5 teeth and mastered putting food in his mouth) but i always give hime a bottle first then about an hour later solids. this works kind of. he manages to dring the whole bottle but the solids are more of a snack than a meal. maybe 2-3 oz of food at each meal. should i be moving him to a more solid food based diet with formula (i understand that this is important for him to drink his formula) as a supporting roll?
our feeding is as follows:
7- bottle (6oz)
8-fruits purred i spoon feed him and cooked fruit slices for him to feed himself (around 2oz of food)
11- bottle (4-6oz)
1-  purred chicken soup and cooked veggies or toasted bread for him to feed himself(about 3oz food)
3-bottle(4-6oz)
4:30-solids (about 2oz)
7 botttle (6oz)
working on cutting out dream feed but at the moment is taking 4oz at 10 pm
i am just unsure as to when i am supposed to make this switch i see people talking about on here.
thanks for the help.

[Mimi 2]

Most moms switch the order at around 9/10 mos.  Some do it earlier some later.  As your lo is doing fine with eating solids and the amount he eats is within normal range then I wouldn't switch the order until he shows indication of wanting to switch.  As they grow older, then the preference for solids will increase and the amount of baby milk decreases.  This may coincides with the dropping of one milk feeding - or combining the two mid-day milk feedings into one.

The main thing to keep in mind is the amount of milk he takes.  As bm/formula is should still be the main source of nutrient until 12 mos, try to limit the amount of solids he takes if he decreases his milk intake too quickly. 

HTH

[nbdarling]

thanks that really helps.